Francis stbbbins



N. FILTERS. PHOYO LTHOGRAPME @uiten tatra lutrnt @frn FRANCIS STEBBINS, 0F HINSDALE, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

Letters Patent No. 81,027, dated August 11, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN GAUGE-GOGKS.

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To ALL WHOM rr MAY coNcEnN:

Be it known that I, FRANcIs STEBBINS, oiI Hinsdale, in the county of Cheshire, and State of New Hampshire, have invented a new'and improved Gauge-Cock; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and

Y accurate description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part lof this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through the axial line of said gauge-cock, showing the position of the parts when the steam-way is open.

Figure 2 is also a longitudinal vertical section, showing the position ofthe parts when the steam-way is closed. Figure is a longitudinal vertical section through the body of a gauge-coelnof slightly modified form, Figure 4 is a longitudinal section through the plunger and sleeve; and

Figures 5 and 6 are longitudinal axial sections of a water-cock, in which the same sleeve and packing are introduced, but in which the shell' slides upon thc Water-pipe.

My invention is designed to be used as-a gaugecock or test-valve for steam-boilers and other like purposes,

and may also be applied to controlling the How of liquids.' It consists of a shell, similar in external appearance tofsome 'class-es of gauge-cocks now inl use, a chambered piston or plunger, a perforated sleeve,whi'chcneircles the piston, two annular rings or bands of packing, and a packing-nut; and its operation is such that I when the piston is pushed inward, a port is exposed forv the escape ofthe steam into the 'chamber in the piston,

and thence out of the gauge-cock through the jet-pipe.

When the piston is drawn back, this port is removed from all contact with the steam, so that the latter cannot escape. By this arrangement, the sediment which is usually deposited in the ports and chamnels of those gauge-cocksto which the steam and water of the boiler have constant access, is'entirel'y prevented, and no part canbec'ome clogged thereby, as neither steam nor water is allowed to reacheither the ports or the channels-ot' the cock, except during the short interval when the steam or liquid is rushing through to escape. The v arrangement of the packing relatively to the moving parts is found, by long trial, to be very durable'andeasily kept in order, and to assist materially in preserving the moving parts free from sediment or deposits of any kind. Theconstruction of my invention is as follows: The brass shell, S, is provided with a. male-screw thread, (Z, at its inner end, for screwing it into the head of-'the boiler or elsewhere, and a polygonal ange, to which a wrench can be applied for turning it-into place. At the outer endof the shell a female-screw thread is cut, in which the packing-nut B turns, the head of which is also polygonal in section. A collar, n, is inserted in the bore ofthe shell, to form a shoulder, against which the inner packing rests. flhe bore of the shell is enlarged in the middle part of its length, to form the steam-chamber s, into which the jet-pipe E opens.

The piston A is a cylindrical bar of non-corrosive metal, at the outer-end ofwhich is attached the wooden knob H. A steam-space, C, is formed in the piston, which the steam enters by the port G, and leaves by, the ports G G. For about one-third of the length of the piston, the diameter is enlarged, so as to t snugly the collarrzl in the bore ofthe shell. 'lhe remainder of the cylinder is of a slightly less diameter, and a collar, a,

is formed upon it, to prevent the piston from being drawn out too far.

The ends of the sleeve D closely surround the piston, while the latter is left free to move easily through it, and several openings, k h, are made for the escape of the steam which comes from the ports-G G of the piston into the steam-spaces. The inner packing, P, is placed against the shouldern in the shell, and the inner end of the sleeve bears against it. The other ring of packing is held betweenv the outer end of the sleeve and the inner face of the packing-nut. The relative arrangement of the parts is such that when the packing-nut is screwed into its place, the packing P is firmly'compresserl', and the pressure is also transmitted by the sleeve to the inner packing P. lBoth paekings are therefore crowded tightly aroundthe piston, and tight joints are formed at both the points of contact. The sleeve, therefore, does not move in the shell after the packing-nut is turned to place. Any of the ordinary packing-materials may be used for the gaskets P P but I havepfound that a simple fibrous packing, such as cotton-waste or hemp, properly wound around the piston,

forms a close and durable packing.v Itv will be seen that any deposit or incrustation around the port G, on the outside of the piston A, will be removed by the friction of the packing P'.

The course of the current of steam passing through the gaugecock,.when opened, is shown 'by the red arrows in iig. 1.

Instead of chambering out the shell to form a steam-space, s, as shown in figs. 1 and 2, the same -result may be arrived at by the construction ot' the shell and sleeve, as shown in tig. 3, in which form of construction the bore of the shell is not enlarged, but a stcam-space'is formed around the sleeve' by cutting out a portion thereof` at s"s', through which the steam passes in its way to the vent-pipe. The course of the st'eanrefrom the chamber in the piston, in a cock of this latter construction, is shown by the red lines in iig. 3.

I am aware that sliding pistons moving within a stationary shell, and having a passage formed axially in such piston, with ports leading therefrom, have been before used` in'steam-gauges, and I do not claim the same broadly, as my invention consists in the described construction and arrangement oi' the shell, chambered piston, having inlet and eduction-ports, the perforated sleeve, and vthe two packings and packing-nut, all operatingsubstantially as described.

The operation of my invention as a steam-gauge cock has been fully described in detailing its nature and construction, and it is obvious that a cock of the same general construction may be used to control the passage of iluids, and would possess certain advantages for such a use, from the fact that the liquid, especially such as is viscous and liable to clog small orices; is not allowed to stand or settle in contact with any of the passages in thecock, but is kept entirely outside of the inner packing when the cock is closed. For such a purpose, the ports G Gv in the piston might be enlarged orincreased in number, and the channels enlarged throughout, so as to allow more ample water-way, if required.

Figs. 5 and 6 represent a watercock,in which a sleeve, D', is used, and two annular packings, Pl P". rIhe body, A', is tted to screw directly into the water-tank or other vessel, and the shell slides upon the body, A', and is composed of two sections, S2 S3, screwed together, as shown. The packings are included'between the end of the sleeve and the inner ends of the shell, and, by screwing the two sections of the shell together, the packing can be tightly compressed about the body, A', and all leakage prevented. Fig. 5 shows the position of the shellrelatively to the body, A', when the cock is open, and in iig. 6 the-same is shown as closed. By

pushing the shell inward, the cock is closed, and is opened by drawing it in the opposite direction.

' Having described nny invention, what I claim as new'tlicrein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

vThe combination of the shell S, packing P P', perforated sleeve D, and packing-nut B, with the cylindrical piston A, having ports G Gr' and steam-passage C formed therein, the whole arranged and operating substantially as described. In witness whereof, I hereunto set my hand, this 9th day of May, A, D. 1868.

FRAN-CIS STEBBINS.

Witnesses J. P. BUCKLAND, E. J. SOMMER. 

